by Jeff Shelby
“What money?” I asked.
Sophie came around the corner. She had on a navy blue dress that brought out the color of her eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled back off her forehead in a high ponytail and she’d either ditched her glasses for the day or wasn’t wearing them yet.
She held out a handful of bills. “This money.”
“What is all that for?” I asked.
“The bets,” Grace said, still jumping on the bed.
“Stop jumping,” I said. “And bets for what?”
“On who gets in a fight,” Sophie explained. “Will said we should have a pool on who might get in a fight at the party and we all had to pick someone who might be involved and then we had to put a dollar in. Whoever is right wins all of the money.”
Jake was messing with his tie. “Irv,” he muttered. “My money's on Irv.”
I poked him again, then looked at the girls. “No pool,” I said firmly. “Return the money.”
Grace looked horrified. “What? Why? Even Emily is playing, and she never does this stuff with us. She picked Aunt Gloria.”
“Good pick,” Jake said. “Good pick.”
“No pool,” I said again. “Give the money back to whoever it belongs to. And tell Will to come see me when he's done.”
They hung their heads and left.
“A pool might be fun,” Jake said, knotting the tie at his neck. “Keep everything interesting today.”
“I don't think we need a pool to make things interesting. I’m sure it will be interesting enough all on its own without any gambling.”
“Yeah, but then we could subtly entice the people we've laid money on to start some crap,” he said. “Would make it totally fun. And it would definitely distract from the music.”
He had a point. I’d almost forgotten that The GG’s would be playing. “I feel like I have five kids sometimes,” I told him.
He grinned. “It's because I'm so youthful.”
I dug around in the closet, looking for and finding my sandals. “You need to keep an eye on your aunt today,” I advised him. “Make sure she's okay.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Besides, I thought you were sure she was Agnes Clutterwhatever's killer.”
“I'm not sure about anything.” I sat down on the edge of the bed so I could strap on my sandals. “But this is your grandmother’s birthday party and I don’t want anything to ruin it. Making sure Gloria is okay – in whatever capacity that means – will go a long way in making sure this party is a success for Billie.”
It was the truth. As much as I questioned Gloria’s involvement in Agnes’ death, today was not the time or place to do anything about it. For better or for worse, Gloria was family, and she'd put together this party for her mother. I didn't want it spoiled for either of them. So we were going to stick by Gloria – literally – until we had a reason not to. Because that was what families should do.
“Okay,” he said, smoothing out the tie. “But I'm not letting her get my drinks.”
I frowned at him and he laughed.
Grace stomped back into the room, a single dollar bill in her hand.
“I thought I told you to give all of the money back,” I said.
She walked over to Jake and held out the cash. He hesitated, then took it from her. Grace stomped back out.
“What?” Jake said when he noticed my frown. He shoved the dollar bill into his pocket. “I told you my money was on Irv.”
THIRTY TWO
“Is that my mom?” Sophie asked.
We were in the parking lot outside of the clubhouse and just pulling into a stall. There were only a couple of spots left; the rest were filled with sedans and golf carts. The big white Apple Lake bus was parked outside, and I wondered who was driving it since Gloria was otherwise occupied.
“No, she's not coming, remember?” Jake said, killing the engine.
“That's totally your mom,” Grace said. “And there's Uncle Garrett.”
Jake twisted in his seat. “What the—”
“Kids,” I reminded him. “Kids are in the car.”
He scowled and got out of the car. I pushed open my door and he disappeared behind the back of the minivan to grab the cake.
Across the lot and standing next to a bright red Chevy rental was Garrett, fiddling with the tie knotted at his neck. He was dressed in black skinny jeans and some kind of checked shirt. Stella was a few feet away, wearing a black business suit, her phone pressed to her ear. Her finger was slicing through the air as she talked.
“I thought she wasn't coming,” Sophie said.
I glanced at her. She didn’t look particularly thrilled to see her mother, which was her standard reaction. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her, but Jake and I both knew that she had a hard time spending any length of time with her mom. She was still getting used to having her mother around after only seeing her sparingly the previous few years. Time with her mom was significantly different than spending time in our family, so shifting gears and preparing herself for time spent with mom was always a bit of a struggle.
Especially when she showed up unannounced.
“She wasn't coming,” Jake said, his jaw set. “They weren't.”
He was still adjusting to having Stella in the same state as us. She’d moved to Minnesota for a job and it had been a bit of an awkward transition for everyone, but we'd managed to navigate it mostly without incident. Throwing her relationship with Garrett into the mix had been an adjustment, too, but we were managing. Stella and I had learned to be something like friends and Jake managed to keep his growling at a very low volume.
Garrett held up the hand that wasn't messing with his tie. “Hey. Surprise.”
We all stood there, unsure what to say.
Stella smiled, held a finger up in our direction and continued chattering into the phone.
“Garrett,” I finally said. “It's great to see you. Both. What are you doing here?” And then, because that was a terrible way to phrase it, I added, “I mean, we thought you weren’t going to be able to make it.”
“Well, my gig at the homeless shelter got canceled,” he said. “Double-booked, so I got bumped. Then Stella learned she had to come down here for a meeting and she had a bunch of frequent flyer miles so...boom. Here we are.”
“Boom,” Jake repeated. “Here you are.”
“Figured it would be fun to surprise Grandma,” he said, smiling.
I smiled back. “Well, sure. She will definitely be surprised.”
Stella stabbed at her phone, took a deep breath, and plastered a massive smile on her face. “Surprise!”
“I just gave them the details,” Garrett told her.
“Oh,” she said, her phone still clutched in her hand. Her blondee bob had grown out a little bit, and it looked like she’d recently added some reddish highlights. Her nails were painted bright red, perfectly manicured, as always, and expensive-looking diamond earrings winked from her lobes. “Oh. Alright.” She directed her gaze at Sophie. “You look lovely, Sophie. All of you do.”
Jake made some sort of grunting sound.
She held out her arms. “Come give your mama a hug.”
Sophie trudged over to her, less troubled by the idea of giving her mom a hug than by the fact that she was being singled out and that her mother just showed up out of the blue. She had voiced on multiple occasions that it was hard sometimes because her mom would just throw things at her without warning and she was never sure how to react to them. She liked stability and knowing what was coming next.
Stella, thus far, hadn't really provided either.
“Party's in there?” Garrett said, pointing toward the clubhouse.
“Yep,” Jake said. “We should probably head inside, too.”
“Can't wait to hear my mom's band rip it up,” Garrett said.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, thinking I might've used a different description.
“I'm just hoping for another fight,” Will said. “I brought a battery charger
for my phone just in case.”
“Fight?” Garrett asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
I nudged Will forward. “Ignore him, Garrett. Let's go inside and have a good time.”
“And get good seats,” Will muttered, rushing ahead of us into the clubhouse.
THIRTY THREE
“I thought the key would be bigger,” Grandma Billie groused.
The party was moving along just fine. There were several dozen people inside and Grandma Billie, despite her best efforts to be her grouchy old self, actually smiled several times. There were gifts and food, and the mayor gave a very nice speech before presenting her with an oversized golden key.
But it apparently wasn't oversized enough for her taste, even though it was bigger than Jake’s shoe.
“It's pretty big, Grandma,” Jake said. “Any bigger and you might not be able to carry it in your chair.”
“Bah,” she said, hugging the key to her body. It appeared as if Gloria had come through on the special outfit, because Billie was wearing a gold caftan fit for a queen. She’d apparently squeezed in a trip to the hair salon – or a stylist had come to her – because her hair had been tamed into soft pin curls, and someone had painted her nails, too, a soft pink that matched the rouge on her cheeks. “I just figured for someone turning one hundred, they might make it a little bigger.”
“Doesn’t the clubhouse look lovely?” I asked, trying to distract her.
The room had been transformed into a golden 20’s era room. Gold fabric draped the stage, and shimmering gold curtains lined the windows. White lights were strung throughout the room, and each table housed a golden vase filled with white and gold roses. The bar had a large black and gold sign that read “Speakeasy” and the signs for the restrooms had been replaced with “Dollface” and “Old Sports.” Ragtime music played over the speakers at low volume and I wished it could play forever instead of the band taking over as entertainment.
As if on cue, Grandma Billie pointed toward the stage. “Oh, goodie. Gloria and her cronies are setting up. Things should finally get interesting.”
The old woman did have a spark; I had to give her that. I turned away so I could smile without her seeing and Esther, over in the far corner, waved a hand at me. I excused myself and headed in her direction.
“Everything is fine?” she asked, smiling nervously.
“Just perfect,” I told her. “The clubhouse looks beautiful. Thank you very much for doing all of this.”
She blushed. “I just wanted to stop in and make sure there hadn't been any hiccups.”
“You’re not staying?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I figured it would be best if I stayed out of the way. It's Billie's day and I don't want anything to go wrong.”
“Thank you,” I said. Once again, I appreciated how she was handling everything. “But this wouldn't have been possible without your help, so you should feel free to join us. Everyone can act like adults for a little bit. You have my personal okay to be here, for whatever that's worth.”
She smiled. “I appreciate that very much, Daisy. I'm going to stay in the shadows today, just to make sure, but I'm glad you're having a good time and I'm glad Billie is, too. I'll be in my office if you need me.” She patted me on the shoulder and headed back down the hallway.
I watched her go. I really liked Esther, and I wanted things to work out for her. I was glad she'd stood up for herself. Someone deserved a reward for acting like an adult, and she was the most deserving.
There was a noise onstage, a tapping at the microphone, and I turned around.
The GG's looked like they were almost ready to play. Gloria was in a bright red ball gown, her hair elegantly coiffed in some sort of fancy chignon. Even from a distance, I could see that she'd applied her makeup generously. The other members of the band were also a little more dressed up than I'd seen them before: Oscar had on a checkered sports coat, Vern was wearing a black button-down, and the keyboard player sported a tie. I wondered if this was the highlight of their gig schedule.
Jake sidled up to me. “Grandma needs another beer,” he explained. “I’m headed for the Speakeasy.”
“Of course she does.”
“Do you want anything?” he asked. “I'm getting one for me, too.”
“I'm fine for now,” I told him. “Just don't get your grandmother drunk.”
“She's her own woman,” he said, squeezing my shoulder and moving past me to the bar.
I scanned the room for the kids. Emily was huddled in a corner with her phone. The time she’d spent in the bathroom had transformed her into something almost ethereal. Brown curls cascaded down her back, and her make-up looked like it had been applied by a Hollywood artist. She’d chosen to bring a simple black dress for the occasion, one with spaghetti straps and a slight V-neckline. With her hair and her make-up and her newly acquired tan, she could have easily passed for an adult. A breathtakingly beautiful adult.
Will was near the stage, probably staking out prime video recording real estate in case he needed it. The red shirt Jake had loaned him didn’t look nearly as big on him as he’d thought it would, and he had taken my advice and actually brushed his hair. I squinted. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he also applied a little product, too. The sides were sort of slicked back, the front teased up a little. He was still in that awkward teen stage, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. With his blonde hair and blue eyes and his wicked wit and smarts, he was going to be a great catch for some lucky girl.
Grace and Sophie were harder to find. I finally spotted them at a table where an older woman was holding out a necklace around her neck. They were crowded around her and she was smiling, waving a hand in the air, and I imagined she was telling them some fantastic story about the piece of jewelry she was wearing. They both sat still, completely captivated.
I smiled. Everyone was having a good time. There were no fires that needed putting out. We could finally relax and enjoy the day, and I could forget about Gloria and Irv and Agnes and who was responsible for what. All I needed to do was focus on Grandma Billie and my family and the party.
At least, that's what I was thinking until I saw Vivian Kettlebaum walk in.
She wore a provocative gold dress with a wide V-neck that exposed most of her cleavage. Her hair was once again done up, this time in a style similar to what Gloria was wearing. Her stilettos matched the color of her dress, and she was adorned in layers of diamond and gold jewelry that sparkled as she walked toward the stage.
I was frozen in place, unsure what to do.
Will saw her and a wide grin spread across his face. He looked down and began to fuss with getting his phone ready.
“Is that who I think it is?” Jake asked. He was back at my side, a beer in each hand.
“Yes,” I said, sighing. “Yes, it is.”
Gloria finally took notice of Vivian's approach and she stood up straight, reminding me of a cat arching its back when another cat entered the room.
“Come on,” I said, tugging on Jake.
“What? I've got Grandma's beer. And one for us to share.”
“Set them down then,” I said, trying to move through the crowd. “I'll get you more after we save them from killing one another.”
I heard the bottles clink on a table behind me. The tables and chairs in the room had been a tight squeeze to begin with and I was having to turn to the side and shimmy through them to get closer to the stage.
“What are you doing here?” Gloria hissed. “You aren't welcome here.”
Vivian, to her credit, looked somewhat confused. “I...I didn't know you'd be here.”
“You what?” Gloria said, incredulously. “You thought I'd miss my mother's birthday party? Really, Vivian? Even for you, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Take your fake boobs and your fake hair and go home!”
And now the entire room was watching.
“You don't need to be crass, Gloria,” Vivian said
. “And I'm here because it was my understanding that a lead singer was going to be needed because you weren't going to be available.”
“What are you even talking about?” Gloria said, wide-eyed. “Can't you just let it go? You aren't in this band anymore!”
Vivian tugged on the sides of her dress. “Oscar told me I might be needed.”
All eyes turned to Oscar as he sat behind his drum kit. He shrugged his bony shoulders and looked at Gloria. “All I told her was that if you were locked up, we might need her. That's it.”
Gloria's face flushed almost as red as her dress. “That is absurd!”
“It's really not,” Vivian said. She straightened herself. “I just wanted to help out. I didn't want your mother's party to be an utter failure because she has a…a jailbird for a daughter.”
Gloria let out a crazy, screeching war cry and, before anyone could stop her, leapt off the stage like a wrestler flying out of the ring. She landed on top of Vivian and they crashed to the ground. Will shuffled backward, his phone steady, pointed directly at the two women.
The room exploded in screaming and yelling, and Jake started shoving people out of the way to get to the two women. I followed right behind him as the crowd swelled toward the action.
Jake broke through the line of people. Gloria and Vivian were locked together, their arms around one another, screaming unintelligible things. Vivian had one of her shoes in her hand and was trying to clobber Gloria in the head with it. Gloria’s hand locked on the diamond necklace around Vivian's neck in an attempt to pull it tighter.
Jake tried to pull Gloria away but she was latched on with the strength of a bear. Every time he tugged on her, she just pulled Vivian up with her. It had become a three-person struggle.
Then Irv Finkleman emerged from the crowd and started working to pry Gloria's hands off of Vivian. Garrett materialized and he tried pulling their arms apart, too. Finally, Jake was able to lift Gloria off of the woman and put her in a bear hug. Irv did the same to Vivian, though it was a bit more of a struggle. Garrett stood in the middle, like some sort of bewildered referee, and I belatedly realized that he probably had no clue what had been going on during the last week.
